The EU has recently finalised several legislative instruments that respond to the increased consumption of material resources for the green and digital transitions. These include the recently finalised Critical Raw Material Regulation, which pushes for  resource extraction within  the  EU  and  in  third  countries  through  Strategic Partnerships. However, the current regulatory framework on resources for the green and digital transition overlooks the problem of overconsumption of materials and  the  high  social  and  environmental  impacts of extra activism  on local communities and in particular youth. Consequently, additional attention must be put on spreading awareness on these impacts, and advocating for an implementation of the current legislation that preserves high environmental standards and includes a variety of stakeholders – including youth – to drive forward a just green and digital transition. Additionally, additional efforts have to be made to spread awareness on the  existing  alternatives  to  material  consumption  such  as  repair  and  the  recent Right to Repair Directive, set for implementation in 2024 and promising accessible and cost-effective product repairs.

Aims:

• Disseminate  youth-relevant  information  regarding  repair  as  a  tool  to  tackle overconsumption of materials.
• Raise awareness on reducing material consumption and the impacts of critical raw material extraction in the context of the Critical Raw Materials Regulation, particularly in collaboration with affected youth in the EU and third Countries.

Policies addressed:

Critical Raw Materials Act, Right to Repair

Deliverables:

• Produce social media content to explain and share information about the Right to  Repair  and  ways  for  young  people  to  set  up  repair  initiatives  in  their communities.
• Produce social media content with relevant partners to raise awareness on the impact  of  raw  material  extraction  in  EU  Member  States  and  Third  countries, especially on youth.
• Participate in the activities of the EU Raw Materials Coalition.
• Participate  in  the  activities  of  the  European  Circular  Economy  Stakeholder Platform (ECESP).

By the end of 2023, the European Commission will propose legally binding targets across the EU as a response to nearly 20% of food produced in the EU being wasted or lost. As EU food systems will continue to be affected by crises and uncertainties, youth acting at the different levels of the food supply chain will play a crucial role in making the transition to a sustainable food system easier. With the legislative framework for sustainable food systems, proposed as one of the Farm to Fork Strategy initiatives, being adopted in 2023, young people and their priorities need to be represented.

The new Common Agricultural Policy entered into force in January 2023, introducing three objectives related to the environment and climate. The transition of consumption patterns needs to be addressed holistically by taking into consideration changes within the whole food supply chain, especially in agricultural practices.

Aims:

• Analyse the role of green nudges and social pricing in the Farm to Fork Strategy
• Analyse and highlight the role of sustainable agricultural practices in the current Common Agricultural Policy
• Assess the opportunities and challenges of digital tools and practices to improve resource management and limit the amount of food waste and loss generated within the context of the Waste Framework Directive

Policies addressed:

Common Agricultural Policy, Farm to Fork Strategy, Waste Framework Directive

Deliverables:

• Develop a policy paper on the role of implementing green nudges into EU policy
• Organise a multi-stakeholder event around the topic of food production and the resilience of food systems to climate change in the framework of the objectives of the new CAP and CAP post-2027
• Interview a key stakeholder on the role of digital tools to combat food waste at the consumer and retailer level and publish their success story on social media
• Engage in the work and activities of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform

2023 was announced as the European Year of Skills. The EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles also recognises the need of greening skills in the textile sector, however it does not put enough emphasis on the matter. Considering the sector is facing an ageing workforce, there is a lack of tangible proposals for attracting young talents and supporting youth entrepreneurs in contributing to the sector. Moreover, historically the textiles industry was the frontrunner of the industrial revolution and is now slow to catch up with the technological changes of the fourth industrial revolution. Digitally-savvy youth could be a source of innovation in this regard. The EU Pact of Skills was launched in 2021 with one of the focus areas concentrated on the textiles ecosystem. Specifically, it is committed to raising awareness and attractiveness of the textile, clothing, leather and footwear industries.

Aims:

• Understand the challenges and successes of youth entrepreneurs in the textiles industry as well as their priorities in the context of the EU Pact for Skills
• Advocate towards the EU decision-makers on the role of education and skills of youth entrepreneurs in the transformation of the textiles industry

Policies Addressed:

EU Textiles Strategy, Pact for Skills

Deliverables:

• Engage with the relevant networks and platforms gathering youth entrepreneurs in the textiles industry.
• Write an article featuring the work and perspectives of youth entrepreneurs in the textiles industry.
• Bring the work of youth entrepreneurs to various events, platforms and fora.
• Publish a series of social media posts highlighting the success stories of youth entrepreneurs and popularising circular business models.
• Create accessible content about upcoming EU legislative developments on textiles and skills.